I’ve been making this type of format, studies of vessel shapes, for some time, accumulating a collection of many different variations of this theme. This new drawing tries to do more activation of the background than what usually occurs. A framing device is placed behind each vessel and this device creates some interesting background shapes. Without overstating the obvious, a lot of very interesting shapes and layers are created. There are a couple of areas when a hatched series of lines is created that make an interesting spatial transition.

I have found it interesting that, especially when seen in photographs, that the white background shapes, each being different and strong, are the first things that one sees in looking at the drawing. After the initial glance, the vessels become evident. The vessels, as in all of the series, try to be unique without any repetition of their shapes. There is a lot of lateral and diagonal movement in the drawing through the background shapes, even though the vessels are fairly still and stolid.

The drawing is 28” x 20”. Media are markers and pencil. I didn’t erase a lot of the exploratory pencil drawing in this piece. In some of these drawings, the aim is to make a very clean, un-aided by pencil, spontaneous creation of the vessel shapes. In this drawing, the aim is to be a little looser and hint a little about the process. The Title “4 x 8” is a lazy, handy way of documenting the number of objects in the grid.

Again, this, like so many of my pieces, would be interesting to see as wallpaper or as other types of patterned utilitarian papers.